The Bible contains many great truths, which we will discuss later. For now, the important thing to know is this: There is a right and wrong. It has been in existence since the beginning of time. A wise man wrote a book called, “Everything I Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten. That is a very simple statement, but it’s true. We need to take turns, be nice, care about others, and be respectful, and so on.
There are no mistakes in the Bible. It is not just a book of philosophy. It was inspired by God. Now, people have made very bad interpretations of it. But, that’s just application, like I did earlier. People can make two major mistakes. They can give something one meaning when another is better. Or, they can apply the verse incorrectly. They might do this because they want to be selfish, or they just don’t get it.
I Peter 1:20-21 explains the Bible well. The Bible did not come just because people decided to write things down. Holy men of God were moved to write, just as they were moved to speak. People like Elisha.
Some say that truth is relative – that it means different things to different people. But, there is absolute truth. The meaning of God’s Word is always the same. It is always true. Application can be a bit different. But, they can’t be too different.
For instance, some cultures see respect differently than others. But, the absolute truth there is that we should show respect. If a culture believes showing respect means something unbiblical, though, that culture’s way of showing respect is wrong.
The Gospel is always true. It doesn’t matter what people think. It doesn’t even matter if a people group doesn’t have the right words in their language. It is up to us to explain it to them. They might apply a term different because of their culture, but that doesn’t change the truth of the Gospel. Let’s study an example of what I mean:
Revelation 3:20: “Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and sup with him, and he with Me.
This means that Jesus wants people to go to Heaven someday. So, Jesus uses the illustration that He is knocking, asking to be invited in. He is a tender, caring friend. And, He doesn’t just want people to come to Him for salvation. God the Holy Spirit wants gently to guide Christians through the problems of life.
There is a culture, however, for which that verse must be explained. This is because in their culture, friends don’t knock. Friends just enter because they are always welcome. The only person who would knock would be a thief, wanting to make sure nobody was home before looting the place.
It was okay for missionaries to that tribe to ensure the proper meaning was given. Paul did the same thing in Acts 17 at Athens. He told people about God where they were.
But, he did one important thing. He kept the Gospel the way it was supposed to be. He never changed the truth to suit the situation. Paul never took anything away from the Gospel. He also never added to it. Paul simply changed his style in Athens.
In the same way, the missionaries to these people had to change an illustration a bit. But, they never compromised any of God’s truth. They always kept Jesus as the loving friend who died on the cross for sins and rose from the dead, who was ready to gain entry to the peoples’ hearts if they would only receive Him.
It’s important to remember that. God’s word tells all about God, but also teaches people how to live their lives. It is, by definition, perfect.
